Hyundai Kona NStage 1 to Stage 4 tuning guide

What we'd do

We would stop the Kona N at Stage 1 with a bigger intercooler. LAP3 claims 300–320 whp on US 91 and 320–330 whp on US 93, against 260–280 whp stock. Its Stage 2 adds only about 10–20 whp over Stage 1.5, and the file asks for US 95+ octane, which is above anything sold here. So the bolt-ons don't buy much on Israeli fuel.

Forge's test is the reason the intercooler comes with the tune. On a Courtenay Stage 1 car its cooler held intake air at about 27°C, against 48°C with the factory part, and added 21 bhp (348 hp at the peak). For the file we would pick LAP3 ($1,250 on sale) or N75 (from CAD 799.99), both written for this car. Courtenay Sport's UK remap (£595) is written for 99 RON, so ask for its 97 version.

Buy in this order: colder plugs (LAP3 asks for HKS M45XL, N75 for heat range 9), then check the fuel pump, then the tune, then the Forge intercooler ($1,064.18). N75 recommends a pump upgrade at every stage (the LF pump is $385), and Hyundai's recall 262 said the Kona N's fix was still being developed. That comes to about $2,700 with LAP3, plus plugs, before shipping and tax. If the car sees track days, add Forge's oil cooler (£614.81).

What we would skip: the GPF delete and de-cat pipes, which Scorpion sells for motorsport only, and the methanol files. We would also skip Stage 3. The Kona N is DCT-only, and N75 says the gearbox can't handle hybrid power, so a $1,595–$1,975 turbo also needs a $1,599 clutch kit and a custom tune. The weak points to watch are the fuel pump, the DCT clutches and oil heat.

Tuning it in Israel

New price in Israel

We found no Israeli launch, importer price or press report for the Kona N. Hyundai's importer here, Colmobil, sells the regular Kona; the N version doesn't appear in the Israeli price lists we checked. A Kona N in Israel is therefore a personal import, so we give no shekel price.

Parts from abroad

At the Bank of Israel representative rate of 26 October 2026 ($1 = ₪3.078), with the Tax Authority's combined 40.66% for car parts above $75 (see importing parts):

• aFe Takeda intake $430.50 × 3.078 = ₪1,325, plus 40.66% = about ₪1,864 (₪539 tax).
• LF 2.0T fuel pump $385 × 3.078 = ₪1,185, plus 40.66% = about ₪1,667 (₪482 tax).

Add shipping before the 40.66%. The Forge intercooler at $1,064.18 is above $1,000, where the simple personal-import steps no longer apply, so check with the Tax Authority before ordering. A set of plugs often stays under $75. N75's tune means sending your engine computer to Canada and back.

Fuel

US 91 is about Israeli 95, and US 93 about 98. On 95, LAP3's Stage 1 is the file to run; on 98, its Stage 1.5. LAP3's Stage 2 needs US 95+, which is race fuel by our scale, and Stage 2.5 needs methanol, which isn't sold here. Courtenay's figures are on 99 RON: ask for its 97 map rather than run the 99 file on 98. See 95 vs 98.

Regulation 380 and the test

Under Regulation 380 a special exhaust and accessories the maker didn't design are a change of structure. An exhaust, intercooler or downpipe needs a certified part, a licensed installer and the change recorded in the licence. European Kona Ns have a particulate filter: a filter delete or a de-cat section won't pass the annual test. Remus's system is EC approved and keeps the filter, which makes it the easier exhaust to get recorded.

Where to get it done

Remus, whose exhaust is in this guide, lists PIT-STOP in Holon on its dealer page. Milltek, whose cat-back is for US cars without a filter, lists Top RPM in Holon. None of the tuners here (LAP3, N75, Courtenay Sport) lists an Israeli dealer. See tuning in Israel.

Prices and rules checked 2026-11-01.

Also useful: tuning shops in Israel, the import tax calculator and the annual test checklist.

What owners ask

My DCT seems to slip a little between gears. Is that normal?

A German Kona N owner asked this on N-Cars. The reply gave a simple test: accelerate hard, and if the revs climb fast while the speed doesn't follow, the clutch is slipping. A smooth, quick shift is not slip, and the owner agreed that was what he felt. On a tuned car the question is real. Veloster N owners say the gearbox software caps torque at about 457 Nm, and a German tuner says 520 Nm slips the stock DCT. Keep Stage 1 well below that, and budget for clutches before any turbo.

Sources: N-Cars: Kona N gear change and clutch slip (July 2022), N-Cars: limits of the stock internals (DCT posts)

Do I need a new high-pressure fuel pump?

A 2022 Kona N owner asked when the stock pump runs out, in an N-Cars thread on pump upgrades. Earlier in that thread, an owner said some early i30 N and Veloster N pumps couldn't hold 2,900 psi at full throttle. N75 recommends a pump upgrade at all three of its Kona N stages. It says the factory fuel delivery isn't set for high boost, so the computer pulls power and cuts fuel under load. Our advice: check the recall work first, then fit the pump with the tune.

Sources: N-Cars: upgrade HPFP (2023–2024), N75: Kona N ECU calibration

Is the stock intercooler enough?

Not on a tuned car in a hot climate. Forge tested its Kona N intercooler on a car with a Stage 1 file. Intake air stayed around 27°C, against 48°C with the factory cooler, and the car made 21 bhp and 28 Nm more. The Forge core has 27% more volume and a larger hot-side pipe. Hot intake air makes the computer pull timing, so in an Israeli summer the cooler is worth more than an intake.

Sources: Forge: Kona N intercooler

Does a tuned Kona N need an oil cooler?

For road use, probably not. For track days or hard driving in summer, yes. In a long N-Cars thread, a moderator said a mostly stock car that isn't tracked doesn't need one, and another owner said hot climates benefit. Forge says oil can reach dangerous temperatures on track or when driven hard in hotter climates, but it gives no figures. Its Kona N cooler is £614.81 and marked discontinued, with a restock date.

Sources: N-Cars: engine oil cooler (May 2020), Forge: Kona N oil cooler